Cousin Rachael came into town Monday to stay with us for a bit and check out some graduate school programs in the city. Rachael has not been to New York since she was 12, so we are happy to show her around again. Henry and her instantly became buddies. It was a perfect autumn day to take our guest to Central Park and walk around for hours.

Today I took Henry to see Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure at the Marionette Theatre in Central Park. The handcrafted marionette puppets played out a supposed dream by Hansel and Gretel after they return home from their adventure in the forest. Henry seemed to enjoy it, but also claimed “it was scary” and held on to my arm as we watched. After the play, Henry was happy to lead me on a long walk through Central Park. I hadn’t been to Belvedere Castle or The Ramble for a long time, so his enthusiasm was appreciated.

We went to Madison Square Park and environs to sample the food and music at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. There were chefs/pitmasters from all over the country and opportunities to try all different regional styles. Even Henry, who’s sometimes a picky eater, couldn’t resist the ribs and pulled pork.

Henry ran into Sebastian from down the hall at Washington Market Park today. Sebastian is a few months older than Henry and other than some brief games in the hall, the two don’t often have a chance to play together. It was nice for them to run around in a bigger space.

Henry and I saw our neighbor, Fred on the way to the park yesterday and the two kicked the ball around for a bit. Fred calls Henry the “Mayor of the 9th Floor” because Henry is often in the hall (we live on the 9th floor) running and yelling.